Rankman's Picks, Week 5

It took a couple of warm-up weeks but Rankman, after going 4-1 against the spread last week, has finally figured out gambling. It’s almost time to mortgage the house and spend the kids’ college money. We’ll give it one more week just to be sure. The trick, we figured out, is to take Stanford and the 3 against UCLA and then wait for a fluke, meaningless, fumble return for TD with the clock at 0:00 to turn a push at 16-13 into a 22-13 pay off. See how easy it is? This week we’re staking victory on errant an Frisbee toss from the stands at Clemson to distract Louisville’s kicker on a last-second field goal for the win. The key, folks, is studying these teams and making intelligent decisions based on sound information. This week’s games are Notre Dame-Syracuse, Tennessee-Georgia and Louisville-Clemson. Plus a bonus, over\under pick on one of these games we this is O-V-E-R.[membership level="0"] The rest of this article is available to subscribers only - to become a subscriber click here.[/membership] [membership]

The GAME: Notre Dame giving 10 to Syracuse (in East Rutherford)

The PICK: Notre Dame, 48-35

The COMMENT: This is likely the last chance for the Irish to salvage, or start looking for a new coach. We’re betting Notre Dame plays with fire and intensity as players fear for job security.

The GAME: Tennessee giving 3 at GEORGIA

The PICK: Tennessee, 30-18

The COMMENT: What am I missing about Georgia other than the Bulldogs stink?

Let me get this straight: Nicholls lost at Georgia by two points, but the Vegas boys think Tennessee will only win by 3? Tennessee is coming off its finest performance of the year, scoring 38 unanswered points against Florida. Georgia just got whacked by Ole Miss.

The GAME: Louisville giving 2 at CLEMSON

The PICK: Clemson, 34-33

The COMMENT: Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has accounted for an amazing 25 touchdowns in four games, but this will be the first real defense he’ll face all year. I like Clemson at home with Dabo Swinney screaming “BYOG.” Bring your own guts.

Bonus: The over\line of 74 on Notre Dame and Syracuse is too low. These are two of the worst defenses in college football. Syracuse is allowing 34.5 points per game while Notre Dame is letting in 33.5.